French dailies, cigarettes and stamps see price increases in New Year
Happy New Year comes with a cost. As France welcomes 2014 the price of some consumer goods – from cigarettes, stamps to a newspaper – are set to rise.
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The cost of daily newspapers Le Parisien, Libération and Le Monde will see increases between 5 and 20 cents early this year to help ease the increasing difficulties weathered during 2013: dwindling advertising and declining sales. Le Monde will pass the two euro mark, up from 1.80 and Le Parisien will move from 1.05 euro to 1.10 in Paris and up ten cents in the provinces to one euro.
Cigarettes will also go up by 20 cents on 13 January and rolling tobacco by 50 cents per packet. The average cost will hit 7 euros for the first time in a bid to cut smoking rates. And for that cup of Joe? Just hope you are not rude, as one French café charged more for sour customers.
Standard sales tax – or the value-added tax (VAT) – will also jump up to 20 per cent from 19.6 for luxury goods and from seven to 10 per cent for hotels, restaurants and public transport. However, tax rates on books and cinema tickets will fall from seven to 5.5 per cent.
Electricity bills will also see a two per cent increase this year.
French postage stamps have also gone up by three cents. For the eco-friendly “green letter” postage stands at 61 cents while a priority letter is now 66 cents.
Public transportation jumped by three per cent in the Paris region, but a single ride and region-wide monthly Navigo pass won’t see an increase in 2014.
Like in most years past the cost of living only goes up, and to reflect this so will the country’s minimum wage - dubbed the SMIC - by 1.1 percent.
Hourly wages will go from €9.43 per hour to €9.53 –amounting to an extra twelve Euros per month for French full-time workers.
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